Save time, save money!

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019

Have you ever wondered how much of your life you spend grocery shopping? It’s probably more than you think. A study found shoppers spend around 43 minutes on a typical grocery shop. If you’re shopping twice a week, which is slightly less than average, that works out to 75 hours a year. That’s like spending two weeks of your holidays grocery shopping every year!

It happens to all of
us, Out of milk? “I’ll just pop over to the shops.” Need something
for dinner? “I’ll pick it up on the way home.” You can do small
things like basic meal planning to ensure you are only shopping twice a week
rather than every day, you could free up valuable time for more important
things, like spending time with family and friends.

Here’s how to manage
to save time and money managed on your next grocery shop. Planning and
preparation are key when it comes to saving money and time on your groceries. With a little bit of research
and forward thinking, you can save big on your weekly shop. We’ve put some
together some top tips you can put to use before you even step foot in the
store.

Shop your pantry – You may have heard the term shop your closet
before, well now it’s time to shop your pantry! Take stock of what you have and
see what you can turn into a meal. You may be surprised how many dishes you can
create or at least get a head start on based on what you already have.

Utilise your leftovers – Chances are you’ve thrown away more than a little this
year. Try to make better use of them by turning dinner leftovers in to lunch
the next day or dedicating a particular night to eating up any leftovers in
your fridge. This could potentially save you money on a couple extra meals a
week – how great is that?!

Make a list
– Whether you jot things down throughout the week or you write your list before
you step out the door, it’s a good idea to keep a list handy to ensure you’re
buying only what you need.

Track your spending – Part of any good budget it’s helpful to track your grocery spending
habits to see how you’re really spending your money.

Manage your children’s expectations – If you have children, you know that they can be
pretty clever about sneaking extra items into your basket. The simplest
solution is to leave them at home with a sitter, however that’s not always an
option. If you’re taking the kids along, let them pick one item each from your
list that they’re able to choose themselves. For example if you have cheese on
the list, let them pick what type of cheese. That way they feel like they are
included in the decision-making process and they each get something they want.

Don’t go hangry
– You know that cross over when hungry meets angry? Don’t shop when you get
into this zone. Studies have shown that you buy more when you shop hungry,
so make sure to fill up before you go.

Plan
for impulse buys – Some people would
advise you to avoid impulse buys, we say plan for them! Similar to the way many
people approach their diet, plan for some cheat room in your budget. That way
you can feel guilt free about buying those Pringles by the checkout aisle. Even
if you only build in $2 for impulse buys, you still feel like you’ve treated
yourself. Sometimes it’s easier to stick to a budget when you know you’ve got a
bit of room to budge.

As you can see, there are plenty of
things you can do to save money on your next grocery shop before you even step
out the door. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you’ll be well on
your way to mastering those groceries.